By David Nagel
District contender Devon Meadows will look to upstage the three best teams in West Gippsland cricket on Sunday when the Panthers line up for the semi-finals of the Twenty20 Kookaburra Cup at Starling Road in Officer.
The Panthers, under skipper Lucas Ligt, have progressed to the semi-final stage of the tournament with wins over the mountain men – Gembrook and Emerald – but will face a much tougher assignment when they hit the Officer Recreation Reserve at 10am on Sunday.
Waiting for the Panthers in the first semi-final will be a red-hot Tooradin, who dismantled Kooweerup in a lop-sided one-day contest at Kooweerup on Saturday.
The Seagulls have fire-power to burn, with Tom Hussey, Cal O’Hare, Dylan Sutton and Aaron Avery just some of the players to look out for on the weekend.
The Panthers have been well served by Ligt (296 runs), Trent Delaney (252), Nathan Worsteling (180) and Kyle Salerno (151) with the willow this season, while Lucas Carroll has claimed 15 wickets to lead all-comers in the District competition.
The likes of Jacob McVicar, Coby Podd, Jamie Cape and Ben Hussey will need to support Carroll if the Panthers are to progress to the 2pm grand final.
Semi-final two promises to be an absolute corker, with last season’s WGCA Premier Division grand finalists – Kooweerup and Cardinia – set to lock horns at 10am on oval two.
Koowee skipper Chris Bright is one of the most dangerous batters in the competition and the Bulls will be fired up to claim his important scalp early.
The day promises to be an absolute beauty, with high-quality cricket assured with the calibre of players on show.
The two Officer grounds, both visible from some vantage points, will provide the perfect backdrop for Sunday’s semi-finals and finals.
TIPS
TOORADIN v Devon Meadows
Kooweerup v CARDINIA
CHAMPIONS – CARDINIA
